With the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft latest and most reliable corporate desktop operating system now provides better protection against viruses, worms, and malicious hackers. SP2 includes Windows Firewall, Pop-up Blocker for Internet Explorer, and the new Windows Security Center. But it still comes without a single page of printed instructions.This superbly written guide fills the gap. Coauthored by David Pogue, New York Times technology columnist and Missing Manuals creator, Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual uses wit, technical insight, and scrupulous objectivity to light the way for first-time and intermediate network and standalone PC users. In fact, this jargon-free book explains XP's features so clearly revealing which work well and which don't that it should have been in the box in the first place.The book reveals which features work well and which don't, such as the Remote Desktop software that enables people to connect to the office from home, the encryption file system that protects sensitive information, and the Windows Messenger that enables real-time text, voice and video communication. Contents include:

Flying the Net. This book demystifies Outlook Express 6 for email, Internet Explorer 6 for Web browsing, and the new Windows Messenger for voice, chat, and video conferencing.

Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual isn't for system administrators or OS theory geeks; it's for the novice or budding power user who wants to master the machine and get down to work. Yet, anyone who uses XP Pro (including hardcore techies) will find this new system much easier-- and more fun--to digest with this new Missing Manual.

David Pogue

David Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how- to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the "For Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music). In 1999, he launched his own series of amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing Manuals, which now includes 100 titles.

L.J. Zacker

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. This book was created in Microsoft Word XP, whose revision-tracking feature made life far easier as drafts were circulated from authors to technical and copy editors. SnagIt (www.techsmith.com) was used to capture illustrations; Adobe Photoshop CS and Macromedia Freehand MX were called in as required for touching them up. The book was designed and laid out in Adobe InDesign 3.0 on a Macintosh PowerBook G4, and Power Mac G5. The fonts used include Formata (as the sans-serif family) and Minion (as the serif body face).The book was then generated as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file for proofreading, indexing, and final transmission to the printing plant.

I have considerable knowledge regarding Windows 98SE, having had that OS since 1998, and even though Windows XP is simular, I have found untold new information in the Windows XP Pro, The Missing Manual. It definately gives those of us who enjoy exploring deeper into the hidden world of Windows. I find the book to be very precise and easy to comprehend, no mater if advanced or beginner. My hat is off to the authors of the book.